Tips for Expatriates

The first thing you notice when you get off the plane is that everyone is speaking another language. Another thing you will notice is that the Germans appear to be extremely conscientious and not as friendly as the Americans. But appearances can be deceiving. If given the chance, Germans can be as warm and open as Americans. And they aren't as punctual as everyone believes... ;-)

I have met some wonderful people here, and my networking skills have come in very handy. My father taught me by example to not be afraid to ask a lot of questions. As a result, I have built up a support network here that can't be beat. I have found a good car, lucrative jobs, and excellent handymen just by asking the right people the right questions. So start talking with your neighbors or that woman standing next to you at the bus stop, and don't be afraid to ask questions.

Bonn has a lot of opportunities for English-speaking citizens. Since the embassies were here, the people of Bonn learned to be more tolerant of different cultures. We also have a lot of really great stores that have a large variety of goods. Hit, Kaufhof and a lot stores in Godesberg and Plittersdorf have many American and British products if you just know where to look.

Some of these hints are from the American Women's Club of Cologne Bulletin and the IWC Connection newsletter and some are my own. I hope they help you survive in Germany.

My first big tip is don't be mad at yourself if you find yourself complaining about the size of the refrigerators, general unfriendliness, lack of ice in restaurants, bureaucracy, etc. It is natural to grieve a bit when adjusting to a major change in our lives. Some days will be better than others, and some days you just won't be able to cope at all. Just put a lid on it after a few months. Other foreigners, who have been here longer, and Germans we meet get tired of hearing us complain. Take it from me - I'm very vocal when something is going on that I don't like. Enough to have irritated some of my friends so much that they told me point-blank that if I don't like it here I should move home. Get out, join some clubs, take a class or two, talk with your neighbors. Savor your experiences here while you have the chance. I for one am taking full advantage of my last few months here.

Living overseas is usually exciting, often challenging, and rarely easy. Need help or answers? Here are some organizations that may help (from the State Department's newsletter):

* United States Embassy Berlin http://www.usembassy.de - The official web site of the American Embassy in Berlin and its constituent posts in Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Leipzig, and Munich. The site contains a wealth of information of interest to American citizens throughout Germany.

* American Citizens Abroad http://www.aca.ch - A nonprofit nonpartisan association dedicated to serving and defending the interests of individual US citizens living worldwide.

* Association of Americans Resident Abroad http://aaro-intl.org/index.html - Founded in 1973, the Association of Americans Resident Overseas (AARO) is a not-for-profit, non-partisan, public service organization representing United States citizens living abroad.

* Expatriate Exchange http://www.expatexchange.com - The Expatriate Exchange was founded in 1997 and has become the largest online community for English-speaking expatriates. Comprised of over 140 country and topic networks that can be accessed for FREE, the community has supported over 500,000 expats through all phases of the expatriation and repatriation process.

* Federation of American Women’s Clubs Overseas http://www.fawco.org - The Federation of American Women's Clubs Overseas Inc. is an international network of 76 independent clubs with a combined membership of over 17,000 women in 34 countries worldwide. It serves as a support network for American women living and working abroad and is particularly active in the fields of U.S. citizens' concerns, education, environmental protection, and women's and children's rights.

* Are you a Uniformed Services member or dependent? Are you a U.S. citizen living overseas?
In 2004, you can take part in an exciting new initiative called SERVE (Secure Electronic Registration and Voting Experiment), which will let eligible U.S. citizens vote from any Windows-based computer with Internet access, anywhere in the world!
The Secure Electronic Registration and Voting Experiment, or SERVE, is a project aimed at providing Uniformed Services members and overseas citizens the ability to register, vote and check their status throughout the absentee voting process. The Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP, http://www.fvap.gov) wants you to be able to exercise your democratic right in a safe, convenient, reliable and timely manner, by bringing the voting booth to you through the Internet. The FVAP has taken all by-mail absentee election functions, and placed them on the Internet. Anyone with a Windows-based computer and an Internet browser will be able to vote without worrying if your ballot will arrive on time. You will even be able to check the status of your registration, your ballot request and see if your vote was counted. SERVE will let you:  Register to vote, Check the status of your registration, your ballot availability, and your voted ballot, Request your absentee ballot, Vote Find out how you can participate by visiting this site: http://www.serveusa.gov.

* Democrats Abroad http://www.democratsabroad.org - Democrats Abroad is the official Democratic Party organization for some six million American citizens who live outside the United States.

* Republicans Abroad http://www.republicansabroad.com/index.htm - Republicans Abroad is the international arm of the Republican Party, formed to enlist the personal energy and leadership of Republicans living overseas.

Also, I just discovered this great page with tips about televisions, available channels, and the Gebühreneinzugzentrale. 

Some hints that might be helpful:

Tips for getting along with your German neighbors and co-workers

• Don't be offended if your neighbors don't come over on the first day and introduce themselves, housewarming gift in hand. It is your responsibility as the newcomer to introduce yourself to your neighbors. This will probably also not be the start of a long neighborly relationship, but rather a chance meeting or a formal greeting over the fence for the entire length of your stay. However, you reap what you sow, and my neighbors have mentioned to me more than once that they really appreciate my friendly "Hello, how are you?" and gestures like bringing up their mail to their door if they are out of town or if a package is lying around. It stands out from the rather distant behavior they are used to. Every little bit of neighborliness counts.

• A recent study has found that the less-than-sunny disposition of the German people can be traced back to their language. Dr. David Myers, an American Speech researcher from Hope College in Michigan, maintains that the German language with all its Ös, Äs and Üs forces the mouth to have a distinct concave position (try it out...your mouth is constantly drooped!). This frequent "unhappy" mouth position not only creates a "sour" expression, but also contributes to the speaker's mood in the long term. Americans and Brits, on the other hand, have lots of "friendly" Is and As in their speech, thus creating a friendly and happy language, which in turn ensures happy people. I thought this finding was very interesting. Keep it in mind the next time you meet a less-than-sunny German and just give them a big smile and talk to them in English. :-)

• A major issue in German society is Quiet Time, which is from 1 PM to 3 PM and 10 PM to 7 AM Monday through Saturday. The whole of Sunday is considered Quiet Time. This means that you are not meant to do anything during this time which could disturb your neighbors in any way. This includes loud music, mowing the lawn, drilling into a wall, vacuuming, yelling at the kids or the kids yelling at each other. You may also only play a musical instrument for 90 minutes per day, but not during Quiet Time. Parties are not private affairs either. If you are planning to have a party, you need to inform your closest neighbors beforehand so that they know what to expect. Another thing I recently learned is that visual disturbances are not allowed on a Sunday. This includes hanging out your laundry where a neighbor can see it. I wonder if the rule applies to my neighbor's tightie-whities in the basement (ugh).

• It is considered bad form to call someone after 9 PM, although younger people don't take issue with this rule as much. This custom stems from the fact that Germans start work very early in the morning and therefore go to bed quite early in the evening.

• Another interesting tip is that it is considered a civil offense if you do not wash your staircase or sweep the sidewalk in front of your apartment building regularly. This is preferably done on Friday or Saturday morning, but check your building's schedule (if one exists). My building wasn't so regimented about this, but I know plenty of people whose neighbors document when the stairwell is cleaned. This is all part of the German tradition of Ordentlichkeit and Sauberkeit (tidiness and cleanliness).

• If you are invited to someone's home for Kaffee und Kuchen (coffee and cake) have a light lunch. German hostesses make a lavish affair of this and will be upset if you do not try at least a little piece of everything on offer. If you would like to invite German acquaintances over for a similar occasion, make sure that you have at least 3 different types of cakes to offer. Less than that will seem stingy and inhospitable according to German standards. And remember that they like whipped cream to be slightly sweetened.

• If you need to introduce your guests to one another, introduce them by Frau or Herr and their surname only. Do not use their Christian names unless you are all well acquainted.

• When drinking with others, they will be impressed if you look them in the eye when clinking glasses. Many Germans don't do this, and I have had more than one person remark on the fact that I knew to do this. I learned this in Austria, where it is considered bad luck (actually, they feel you will have one year of bad sex) if you do not look people in the eye when clinking glasses. Prost!

• It is considered bad luck to celebrate your birthday or wish someone happy birthday before the actual date. You may celebrate "into" your birthday by having a celebration the night before and running into the birth date. If you are at such a birthday party be sure to give the gift to the birthday boy or girl after midnight. If you are turning a Schnappszahl (the age of 22 or 33 or 44...) you are expected to drink a lot of Schnapps.

Eating out

• Tipping in Germany: at the hairdressers (Friseur) it is usually good to tip about 5 DM. If waiters in a restaurant do a good job round up to the nearest 5-10 DM when the bill is presented (a general rule of thumb I use is 5-10% of the total). You should round up to the nearest 5-10 DM for taxi drivers, and hotel maids are happy with 10 DM for a week's stay.

• Restaurant etiquette: You do not need to wait for someone to show you to your seat - except in the very upper class establishments. Men also enter ahead of the lady. This is not to be rude, but to make sure that the place is safe for his lady to enter. :-) If no tables are available in the restaurant, it is perfectly acceptable to share a table with people already seated there. But be sure to ask if it is free. Eating without a knife (i.e. just with a fork) are not exactly normal, but I never had anyone look at me funny for eating with just a fork. You need to ask for the bill at the end of the meal. Unlike the restaurant trade in America, no one is in a hurry to move you on after your meal. "Linger longer" dining is the custom here, and a waiter would never dream of bringing you the bill before you ask for it. Almost everyone smokes here, and it is very difficult to find non-smoking sections in a restaurant (although it is getting better, and there is a wave of no smoking laws being passed in Europe...).

• Looking to try a new restaurant in Bonn or Cologne? Check out some of my tips.

Shopping and Cooking

• Ever heard the phrase Servicewüste Deutschland? It is one of my favorite German phrases. It means literally "Germany, the service wasteland". Don't expect service with a smile here, but it isn't because they are rude. They are simply more businesslike and aim at giving their customer the service that they (presumably) want without much fuss. But take heart, things are getting better...

• A study by the "Verbraucherverbände" and a recent article in the Express report that a third of all Germans haggle over prices when it comes to large purchases - and they succeed! So give it a shot next time, but you might want to bring a German along with you.

• There is a Lands End in Germany now. By ordering from the local website (www.landsend.de) you can save yourself the HUGE import tax. The display pictures are self-explanatory and most of the merchandise is in American sizes. Delivery charges for a 272 DM order are only 9 DM. They will also send you a catalogue, and you can order by phone in English if you prefer. Tel. 0800 90 90 100 (call for a catalogue).

• If you want to try some German recipes you will need to get used to the fact that they do not use cup measures. Ingredients get weighed. Have someone send you some measuring cups from home, since you won't find any here.

• Craving some of your favorite American food and can't find it in the German stores? Check out www.allamerica.de to order some Jif peanut butter, Welch's grape juice, Jell-o brand gelatin or your favorite American candy bar. She comes down to Bonn once a month to deliver her goodies, but she is taking a break for the summer. But you can always order it through the post...

• Another great section in the AWCC bulletin discusses many different food tips, some of which originated from the local IWC's book "Cooks Along The Rhine" and the experience of fellow expatriates. If you want to become a bit more knowledgeable before going to the grocery store the best thing you can do is join the AWCC or the IWC (see below for more details) to get their bulletins - almost worth the cost of membership alone.

• Adendorf is a good place to go shopping for pottery in the Eifel region and is only 15 minutes away by car. The town has 9 different pottery shops, each with its own style. They are occasionally open on Sundays.Take the Meckenheimer Strasse towards Meckenheim and follow the signs to Adendorf.

• Piccadilly Circus (tucked away behind the old Marks & Spencer building in Cologne) has Ben & Jerry's ice cream!!!!! They also sell assorted British (Ovaltine, marmite, etc.) and American food (Reese's peanut butter cups, Betty Crocker, Bisquick, root beer) and have a large selection of videos, books and magazines.

• You can buy flavored coffees of any and every description at a small coffee boutique close to Neumarkt in Cologne. Leave Neumarkt and walk to Rudolfplatz, past the bakery on the corner. You will find it 2 shops down from the bakery.

• You can buy propane for your grill at Knauber on Endenicher Strase 120-140 in Bonn-Endenich. The main building has house/garden/hobby/seasonal supplies and the propane gas building is through the parking lot, past the gasoline pumps, in a smaller Knauber building. Can (sometimes) fill non-German tanks and sells conversion fittings.

• You can buy American brown sugar in Holland. Look for "lichtbruine basterdsuiker" which is the light brown sugar or "donkerbruine basterdsuiker" which is the dark brown sugar. You can also find evaporated milk, condensed milk, cranberry juices and many Celestial Seasonings teas in Holland.

• The tea shop in the Hit complex in Bad Honnef sells some Celestial Seasonings teas but not near the selection you can find in Holland or in the States. Take the first Bad Honnef exit, turn left and then left again at the sport club, make another left and you will see a McDonalds. Hit is right next to it.

• One reader recommends "best winehouse in Bonn - 'Rietbrocks' on Lennestrasse in Bonn Südstadt. The owner makes every visitor feel like an old friend - and the wine is fabulous!!!"

• I love movies and television and have found the best video store on the Net: Blackstar. Their customer service is absolutely incredible, and they offer a 20% discount on pre-orders for videos. They also offer a video hunt service. They are based in England and sell PAL videos. I won't be shopping anywhere else now!!! 

• Microsoft and Barnes & Noble are offering a free Microsoft Reader to visitors in order to read eBooks. To quote B&N: "Take advantage of this limited-time offer to build your digital classic library FREE! These are the books you always meant to read but never got around to. Not only are these eBooks quick and easy to download anytime you have a moment to read, but for a limited time they are also FREE." Now me: It's a great chance to get your hands on some free books in English - even if it *is* on the computer. I've downloaded my copy and am looking forward to rereading Winesburg, Ohio (it is an actual town in Ohio by the way) and reading Bram Stoker's Dracula (what else would you expect from a huge Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan??), Sherlock Holmes, The Prince by Machiavelli and many other classics free of charge.

• Want to buy some Birkenstocks? Instead of paying a lot of money in some shoe store, why not head to the factory outlet in Bad Honnef and save some money? Just off the A59 at Bad Honnef (the second Bad Honnef exit), turn right and then left onto the Rheinstr. Drive for a little while and you will see a big sign for it on your left-hand side. The store is located across from the ferry at Rheinstr. 2-4.

• Another great outlet that I recently visited is Waechtersbach Keramik (in German - click here for the English web site) in Wächtersbach, Germany (near Fulda) . They have been selling ceramic mugs and plates since 1832. My mother has a few of their coffee mugs and wanted to purchase a couple items while she was here. Their normal prices are usually quite high ($10-50 a plate, $13-17 for a bowl, $24 for a coffee pot), but the seconds, discontinued items (Auslaufserien) and remaining stock (Restposten) at the outlet only cost a fraction (4-14 DM for mugs that usually cost 10 DM and up). Take the A3 to Frankfurt, then take the A45 towards Fulda, follow the A66 towards Gelnhausen. Get off at the exit for Bad Orb/Wächtersbach. Go straight through the light and drive past Waechtersbach and through Hesseldorf and Brachtal-Schlierbach. You will then see a building with "Waechtersbach Keramik, 300 m" painted on the side. Turn right at the street in front of the building and continue bearing right until you stop in front of the outlet store. Parking is available in front of the outlet store as well as in the large parking lot near the production plant. The phone number is 06053 80122 if you have any questions. They are open from 9 to 18:00 Monday thru Friday and on Sat. from 9-13 and there is also a restaurant (Restaurant Zum Henkelbecher) and ceramics museum, although I didn't have time to check them out. The restaurant serves German and Italian food. I would have spent a lot more money if I had known about it sooner and could transport my purchases back to the States!

• The CentrO shopping mall in Oberhausen is similar to a US mall. It is fully enclosed and has a huge food court and tons of shops. Some good stores are located in the Bunte Gasse, some selling Polish potter, Native American handcrafts and an RTL shop. There are lots of entertainment options for kids and the outdoor promenade features many international restaurants inclduing German and Spanish fare, an Irish pub and American places like Joe Champs, Louisiana and Planet Hollywood. Take the A3 to the A42 (Kreuz Oberhausen-West). From the A42 take the exit "Neue Mitte" and you can't miss it.

• If you want to get your photos developed and are looking for cheap yet good photo developing I can't praise the work of Drogerie Markt enough. The prices are reasonable, and I have generally been pleased with the results. One mail-order photo developing service is Fotolabor Club. You can contact them at (07667) 93830 or by fax at (07667) 93730.

Miscellaneous tips

• PlanetOmni.com is the coolest site I have seen in a long time. I wish I knew about it when I was investigating video formats, codefree DVDs and multisystem televisions. It would have saved me a lot of time and energy. This site's FAQ will answer just about every compatibility question you may have about television formats, DVD region codes, multisystem tvs and vcrs, and cell phones.

• I recently wrote a series of articles on driving in Germany for the American Women's Club of Cologne Bulletin. Check it out for some driving and parking tips that just might explain why that German driver just shot you a dirty look and will hopefully answer a lot of your questions. It also includes a general section on car-related tips.

• Feeling sick and don't know what to do? Be sure to check out my Health Care Hints, which offers all kinds of tips about insurance and going to the doctor.

• Looking for an English-speaking doctor or vet? Due to the large number of embassies most doctors here speak relatively good English. I translated documents for the American Embassy Health Unit for a few years, so I am pretty familiar with the doctors who speak English. Feel free to drop me an e-mail and ask about a specific doctor. There are two English-speaking ob/gyns here in Bonn. Dr. Georgia Harder-Faigle is an American who has a very busy practice. You can call to see if she is accepting new patients at (0228) 224262. Her offices are located at Heinrich v. Kleist Str. 19, 53111 Bonn (just off the Bonner Talweg). I can't speak highly enough of Dr. Marie-Theresa Brandenburg. I changed to her after I was given the impression that Dr. Harder-Faigle was too busy to really listen to me. I've seen quite a few ob/gyns here over the years, and she is the friendliest I have come across. Give her a call at (0228) 352780. She is located at Beethovenallee 19 in Bad Godesberg. Dr. Petra Evers graduated from vet school in Germany, but she did a total of four years residency in Canada and the US. She is fluent in English and is familiar with veterinarian practices in North America. She and her partner, Dr. Schwarz, have a practice in Endenich (Tierärztliche Klinik für Kleintiere, Euskirchener Str. 60, Bonn-Endenich). You can call for an appointment at 0228 979897, but the general practice is walk-in, first-com first-served.
  The reason for all my doctor visits turned out to be due to food allergies. Dr. Claudia Hennig is one of the few allergists who run blood tests, which are the only tests accurate enough to detect most food allergies. She is also a psychotherapist and practicing physician. Except for the fact that she tends to take care of private matters during appointments I can't sing her praises enough. She only accepts private patients, but I felt my health was important enough to pay for the tests out of my own pocket. It only ended up running me about $200. You can contact her for an appointment at 0228 9480400. Her practice is located at Pützchenschausee 202, 53229 Bonn-Beuel. The results have been amazing, and I have seen improvements in myself that I didn't even realize were allergy symptoms. Turns out I am allergic to milk products, eggs and bananas, but that will be another page...

• The American Embassy in Germany invites all Americans to join their new e-mail subscriber service called the "E-Warden" system (great name, huh?). You will receive up-to-date information on issues and topics of concern to all American living in Germany, e.g. how to pay your taxes, where to vote, how to apply for social security cards, etc. To subscribe to this free service, simply send a blank e-mail to GermanyACD-subscribe@Listbot.com. I have subscribed to it and can assure you that they don't flood you with mail. I receive the occasional State Department travel warning, but that is pretty much it.

• Have you locked yourself out? There are a lot of small print extra charges the Yellow Pages does not tell you about. There might be an extra charge if the lock is damaged. The drive to your house is also not included in the price. If your locksmith seems to be a shady character with lots of extra charges, you can remind him of the Locksmith's Guild Guidelines: the daytime rate is 150 DM and the nighttime rate is between 300 and 350 DM for opening and changing the lock. A drive time of 20 minutes carries a 30 DM cost, but if it is 21 minutes you pay double. After hours service may only be charged at 100% more, according to the Guild. I've had to call a locksmith once while I was in Vienna. It ain't cheap. I took to leaving an extra set of keys with a friend I knew I could reach 24/7 (luckily I only needed him once) and actually left a set in my car (I walked out of my apartment with just my car keys a couple times, and this idea came in handy).

• Germans are much more advanced when it comes to electronic transfers. It is common practice to transfer money instead of writing checks. When it comes to banking, you should be aware that Germans use a comma to separate the Marks from the Pfennigs (dollars from the cents) and a point to separate the thousands. Make sure you do it the right way round to ensure that your payments go through the way you intended them to and you aren't suddenly 30.000,00 DM in the hole instead of 300.

• Pay phones: if you don't want to get a mobile phone (but it is so convenient here in Germany that you should seriously consider doing it) you can buy a prepaid card ("Telefonkarte") for either 12 DM or 50 DM at gas stations, post offices and train stations. Not all pay phones accept change and it is a pain to lug change around. Insert the card until a DM amount (whatever is left on your card) shows in the window. The amount will tick down as you talk. Some Germans collect phone cards as a hobby because they can be quite artistic.

• Deutsche Telekom provides an English-speaking operator for German Information at 11837. You can also arrange for an answering service with the Deutsche Telekom T-Net box by dialling 0130 144770 (it's a free call). The instructions and requirements are all in German, however, but it's not that difficult. The cost per month is 4 DM unless you already have a special ISDN arrangement. If you have ISDN press * after the lady has finished talking, then press your 4-digit chosen PIN and * again, then you get to record your name and a personal message. To pull up messages dial 0130 144770 again and enter your PIN - and you've got mail - voice mail that is!

• ADAC is located on the B9 between Bad Godesberg and Bonn and it offers free travel maps, routing services and literature (in German) if you have a AAA membership. (The same applies for ADAC members visiting the States and want to use AAA services) It also sells tour books, money belts and car travel items.

• Did you know that you should regularly make sure the filter on your washing machine is clear of crud? I just found this out. There should be a little door on the very bottom of the machine. When you open it there is a turnable knozzle (somewhat similar to a gas tank lid) that you should remove (be careful of the water that might come out) and clean off any debris that might have collected.

• The Familienbildungsstätte (Quantiusstr. 9) offers reasonable courses in just about anything you can imagine - some courses are even in English. I recently took French and some relaxation seminars.

Some links for expatriates in Bonn (if you have any tips you would like to share with others feel free to contact me):

• I furnished my apartment almost completely with second-hand furniture. There is a warehouse called Schnäppchenmarkt at Am Weidenbach 26 in Beuel (near the Globus store - find Pützchenschausee and drive towards Globus. It's across from the gas station at the side of Globus.) whose prices can't be beat. It's a crap shoot. Sometimes you find a lot of great stuff and sometimes you find nothing. You have to keep going, because you never know what you will find.

• Washing machine broke or looking for a reasonable appliance? Check out the Der Weiße Kreis resale shop (631994 - Wolfstr. 5). He also makes house calls and was willing to tell me over the phone my freezer wasn't worth fixing and saved my money.

• Re-Cycle on the Römerstr. is a bicycle shop that is run by Mandehra, a friendly Dutchman. He sells used and new bicycles, is very reasonable and can repair just about any bike known to man.

• This is a great list of what's going on this month in English from the official Bonn web site. You might also want to check out the Bonn English Network web site.

• www.bonnaparte.de has a great list of pubs & restaurants in Bonn, but it's in German. I've also made Jill's own personal list of restaurants based on my past dining and drinking experiences during the 5 years I lived in Bonn. When I lived in my tiny, depressing basement apartment in Beuel I was out just about every night. My friends are always amazed at my knowledge of restaurants and bars in Bonn. If it's a cool place (or even a not-so-cool place) in Bonn I've probably been there.

• Check out my movie page for movies in English showing in Bonn and Cologne.

• The American Protestant Church and St. Thomas More (Catholic community) both offer worship and fellowship in Stimson Memorial Chapel. Give us a look if you want to join us.

• The International Women's Connection in Bonn is currently accepting new members. Membership is open to all English-speaking women in the Bonn area. For more information, contact me or the current president Helen Schneider. We can give you the phone number for the membership chairperson. I recently joined and was quite impressed by how many people are members and the number of activities.

• The American Women's Club of Cologne meets in Cologne and provides the opportunity to make new friends through various cultural and social activities. Their newsletter is also extremely informative. For more information contact Gladys Pieniazek. 

• Are you interested in playing softball? Contact Andrew Browne for more information.

• Each January you will receive a garbage pickup calendar ("Abfallplaner") for your area for that year. It will tell you when the "Biomüll" (compost-type garbage), "Restmüll" (regular garbage), "Gelbe Säcke/Tonne" (plastic and metal recyclables) and "Altpapier" (paper recycling) pick-ups will be. It also has information on "Sperrmüll" (quarterly pick-up of larger items that don't fit the other categories). You can order a "What to do with rubbish?" leaflet in English which tells you some of the more important information you'll need to know about garbage sorting and collecting as well as addresses and contact numbers where you can ask more specific questions at www.bonn.de/rathaus/abfallplaner or send them a e-mail at stadtbonn.abfallwirtschaft@bonn.de. 

I was recently asked for some links for expats for the AWCC bulletin. I did a bit of additional research on the subject and came up with the following links for expats:

• Auf Wiedersehen Net serves members of the British community living in Germany

• The Expat Page offer information and links for expats living in German-speaking Europe

• expatica.com is a good source for English-language news & information for expatriates in Germany. I visited the site recently and learned a few new things myself, so be sure to check it out.

• Expatriates Working & Living in Germany has a ton of excellent advice and answers to little things that you wonder about but never thought to ask

• The US Embassy in Germany

• State Department Travel Tips & Advisories

• I was recently made aware of a workbook for relocating children, available in German ("Andere Länder, andere Kinder, dein Auslandsumzug mit Ori" ISBN: 3-88864-340-6 VAS Verlag) and English ("When abroad - do as the local children do Ori's Guide for young expats" ISBN: 90-5594-262-6 Xpat Media). For a preview visit Ori's Website: www.Ori-and-Ricki.net

Are there any I may have missed? Also, information changes, so if you see something here that needs correction, please e-mail me by clicking on the logo to the left.

© Jill R. Sommer, July 2000
Last modified: January 2005